Against All Odds
by elfmaiden4legs
Summary: This Dalziel and Pascoe fiction was the first I ever wrote several long years ago, before I even knew what fan fiction was. I am currently re-writing it of a sort under the new title of 'Dangerous Games', although thought that this was worth an upload!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

**This was the very first fan fiction I ever wrote several long years ago now, before I even really knew what fan fiction was! I am currently re-writing it (under the new title of 'Dangerous Games') and so saw no reason to change any of it, so this is the original version... I have only made a few minor alterations to the grammer to make it easier to read. Even so, although I am re-writing this to an extent (althpugh the story plot is intended to be significantly different) I still thought that this was worth an upload! Enjoy!**

"Hey ready to go?" Pascoe popped his head round the door of Dalziel's office.

"Yeah come on then, lets go." His boss looked up from a pile of paper work. "Hand me my jacket will you?" Andy Dalziel's arm was tightly wrapped in a bandage and lightly resting in a sling, that went up around his shoulders and was loosely tied around his neck.

"You really ort to get that looked at you know." Pascoe looked with a frown at his bosses injury.

"I have."

"You know what I mean. You've not been to see the doctor since the beginning of last week. You're supposed to be going every morning and evening to get that dressing changed."

"Oh don't fuss Peter, it was barely a scratch. I'll be perfectly alright." Andy placed his hand upon Peter's shoulder.

"Yeah I suppose so." He replied with a smile on his face. "Come on." He dangled a set of car keys in front of his bosses face. "I'll drive." He said with a forced smile. Andy Dalziel gave a little laugh.

…

Out in the station car park the two men walked side by side, hands in pockets, heads face down. It was now Dalziel's turn to break the silence between them.

"I'm sorry Peter."

"For what?"

Dalziel shrugged his shoulders. "Everything."

"You have no reason to be sorry, especially to me. I owe you my life Andy."

The week before Dalziel and Pascoe had apprehended a suspect in a murder investigation that they had been working on. When the man had taken Pascoe and a number of other young constables hostage in one of the interview rooms armed with a knife, Dalziel had interviewed. As Pascoe lay unconscious on the stone floor Dalziel had been stabbed twice, once in the shoulder and again in the palm of the hand. Despite this, Dalziel had somehow managed to knock the suspect out and grab the knife from his hand.

Now Pascoe helped his boss into the front seat of his car. Someone was out to get Dalziel, neither of them knew who, but since that fateful day he had been receiving death threats through his mail, and more recently so, strange phone calls. Pascoe was now feeling concern for his bosses future welfare, and after much perseverance had persuaded him to come and spend a few weeks with him and his wife, and their daughter. Who also happened to be Dalziel's goddaughter. Dalziel suddenly flinched and grabbed at his shoulder.

"Sorry Andy."

"It's alright Peter, no worry's." He held his hand up in protest to his Inspector's concerns. He looked to his front and gave a sigh.

"Andy?" Pascoe frowned. Dalziel turned his head, smiled and winked at Peter. Peter smiled back and closed Dalziel's door. Dalziel struggled to get his seat belt on one handedly as Pascoe went round the back of the car and round to the other side, he opened the door and sat in the driving seat.

"Here let me help you with that." He reached over and clipped his bosses belt in the belt lock.

"I can do it myself!" Dalziel snapped. Pascoe looked to the front, smiled and shook his head. He started up the engine.

…

As the two men drove down the narrow country roads, the night was closing in fast. It was almost dark when the engine decided to pack up, and the car came to a sudden stop.

Pascoe tried to get it started back up again but with no success. He gave one last frustrated thump to the steering wheel. "Dam!" He shouted. Dalziel looked up suddenly.

"What?"

"The blasted engine's packed up!"

Dalziel noticed that the petrol reader pointed to empty.

!No. I don't think so. Look that's your problem, the blasted petrol tank is empty!"

"Great, that's all we need. I knew I should have stopped off at the petrol station a few miles back!"

"Well why didn't you then?"

Pascoe looked disorientated. "It was closed."

Dalziel shook his head in annoyance.

"Can't you ever do anything right Peter? I mean…"

Dalziel's voice droned off into the distance. Pascoe wasn't really listening. He was used to this. He had it everyday at the office. As he sat there twiddling his fingers, he noticed the silhouette of an old run down looking farmhouse on the top of a very high hill.

"Look!"

Dalziel's voice suddenly trailed off.

"What?" He snapped.

"Up there on the top of that hill!" He pointed.

"It looks like some sort of building!"

"A farmhouse I think sir!"

"Quite probably." Dalziel replied vaguely.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Pascoe asked. They both looked at one another,

"Probably not." Dalziel said.

"Maybe it's still vacant!" Pascoe said hopefully.

"What, an old rundown place like that? Be serious Peter."

"I am being serious! Besides it's our only hope, come on."

Pascoe removed his seatbelt and made a move to get out the car. Dalziel grabbed him by the arm.

"No, I'll go." He said impatiently.

"We'll go together." Pascoe said, shaking Dalziel's grip away. "I'm not letting you out of my sight."

"I'm not incapable of looking after myself." Dalziel said as they got out of the car. "I still have one good arm left."

"It's not your arms that I'm worried about!" Pascoe muttered to himself as he slammed the car door. "Hey wait for me!" He ran fast to catch up with Dalziel, who had already started his trek up the hill.

…

Two watching eyes peered out through the bushes on the opposite side of the road, and watched as the two men became further and further away, and turned into tiny black silhouettes in the distance.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Further up the hill rain clouds started to develop just beyond the farmhouse.

"Looks like rain." Pascoe said.

"Oh great, that's all we need. If it rains we're going to get soaked, and…" Dalziel's voice trailed off, and Pascoe suddenly chipped in.

"I haven't got a coat!"

"What?" Dalziel turned. "Didn't you collect it before we left the station? I'm sure you did."

"No I was going to."

"Well, what were you doing when I was in the lavvy then?"

"I went to get it, but some fool had locked the gentleman's cloak cupboard early."

"Probably that ass hole of a caretaker!" Dalziel replied. "He's always doing that. But why didn't you keep your coat in your office?"

"I do usually, but I had a meeting as soon as I got in this morning and I was late, so I had no time to go up to my office."

"Well there's nothing we can do about it now!" Dalziel replied, starting to act less concerned and brining more of his usual manner into light. "We're just going to have to hope that the rain holds off until we can find some sort of shelter for ourselves."

The two men heard a twig snap behind them and turned quickly.

"Come on lets press on."

A strange shadow appeared from behind an old oak tree standing not but a few metres away from the men, and ran off into the woods.

…

The sky by now a fully-fledged black. Dalziel and Pascoe had been walking for hours. In his struggle to get his footing going up a rather boggy and wet field, Pascoe has slipped and landed face first in a rather muddy puddle, soaking himself from head to toe. The cold was now gripping at his arms and shoulders, pinching, stinging, knawing down to the bone, without a coat to protect him. Pascoe shivered. He breathed warm air onto his hands and rubbed them together to try and get the circulation going in them again. Then he rubbed his aching arms and shoulders to try and relieve the discomfort of the bitter cold he was now beginning to feel the full extent of. Dalziel noticed his Inspectors persistence as he rubbed rough and fast. Suspecting that hyperthermia might start to set in if Pascoe didn't warm up soon, he removed his coat from his back and draped it over his Inspector's shoulders.

"Thanks." Pascoe said. "But what about you?"

"I'm wearing a thicker jacket underneath. Besides I'm not the one who looks as if I've had the entire River Nile tipped over my head."

Pascoe managed a faint smile. He pulled the coat further around him and buttoned one of the buttons to keep it secure and stop it falling off.

A few minutes later the sound of repetitive gunshot echoed through the air. The two men looked at one another.

"Shit!"

They ran towards the farmhouse where the sound was coming from. On approaching they saw that the door was wide open. The body of a woman in her mid 40's blocked the entrance, a pool of blood surrounded her.

"Stella!" Andy Dalziel recognised her as Stella Moon. She was an old friend of his, and they had once shared something of a mutual relationship. Dalziel had nearly died for her and a group of other hostages, trying to save them all from a burning cellar after her husband Frank, the landlord of their pub had turned nasty and taken them all hostage. Suddenly another gunshot was heard and Dalziel fell to the ground.

"ANDY!" Pascoe yelled and looked up just in time to see the black silhouette of a man disappear into the trees. He pulled his mobile from his pocket and dialled the emergency services, "Hello ambulance please!", he ran to his bosses side.

"Get Stella!" murmured Andy before drifting away.

Pascoe felt for a pulse. His boss was by now bleeding badly, but he did manage to find it. He took the sling from around Dalziel's neck and applied it to the wound. He suddenly heard a noise from behind him. He turned suddenly to see Stella making her way towards them. She fell to the floor. Pascoe jumped up and grabbed her, leaving his bosses side for a moment.

"After Frank died," She gasped for breath, "I decided that maybe it would be best for Freddie and me…" Stella's son was called Freddie, "if we moved out here."

"What happened?" asked Pascoe.

"A man, he wanted Andy. He said that he would shoot. I heard a band and fell. Freddie, where's Freddie?"

"I'm sure he's fine." Replied Pascoe.

"Freddie…" Stella murmured, "Freddie…" her eyes closed, her head slumped to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Pascoe paced up and won. He had been doing this for the past hour or so whilst his boss had been in surgery. For a while he had sat beside Stella, holding her hand and comforting her young son. During the hostage situation about a year back Pascoe had formed a rather close bond with the young boy and Freddie had trusted him. Pascoe was beginning to find this all very difficult to cope with. He was due back at the office half and hour ago but the strong pull to stay and be with his boss, who also happened to be his best friend, was just too strong.

"You can go and see him now." Pascoe heard a voice say. He turned to see a doctor standing just behind him.

"Sorry, I was miles away. What did you say?"

"You can go and see him now if you wish to. Prepare yourself though, it may come as a shock to you to see him in this way."

"In what way?"

"Now, don't worry. We've got him stable." Said the doctor, completely ignoring Pascoe's question. "The tubes and monitors are just to make sure that he stays that way."

As Pascoe stepped into the room his heart missed a beat and he lost his footing, toppling over slightly.

"You OK Peter?" Asked the doctor, who knew the pair of them rather well from previous cases.

"Yes, sorry."

"I'll leave you alone then." The doctor closed the door behind him as he left the room.

"Andy…" Pascoe made his way over to his bosses bedside and sat down in the chair next to him. He looked up At the window and saw the doctor standing there, egging him on. He turned back to Dalziel. "It's me Andy, Peter. You're going to be OK now, you're in safe hands. Look I can't stay long, but I think I heard somewhere that a familiar voice can speed the recovery in a case like this, and I know that I'm not wizard when it comes to the art of conversation, but I'm afraid I will have to do. Stella's OK, she's been better, but then again so have you… so have I to tell you the truth. She's in a coma. Freddie's with her now."

His pager bleeped, he stopped to look at it. "Sorry Andy but I have to go now. I've been called back to the office. I'll be back later."

He got up and left the room, closing the door behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

**Heya all, well here it is CH4! I'm sorry if some of the details are incorrect, I don't claim to be a medical expert and know nothing about the subject really.**** Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy, and I'd love to read any REVIEWS, thanks!**

"He's awake?" Pascoe's voice was light an breezy. "Really? I'm on my way now, wait there!"

It had been almost 5 months since Dalziel had fallen into a coma and many things had happened since then. Stella was now awake and had returned home after making a full recovery, and the shooter had been found and convicted of attempted murder. It had turned out to be an associate of the man who had taken Pascoe and the other constables hostage in the interview room.

…

As Pascoe entered Dalziel's room he was glad to see him sitting up and smiling at him – weakly, but Pascoe had been worried that his boss would never see the light of day again.

"Andy?" Pascoe approached him cautiously. Dalziel winked at him reassuringly and Pascoe knew that he was not blamed.

"Thank you." Said Dalziel as Pascoe took his seat beside his boss.

"For what?" He asked.

"For being there, the doctor told me everything. You saved my life."

"Hey, what is it they say? A life for a life." Pascoe smiled.

"Hey, I almost forgot," Said Dalziel frantically. "How's…"

"Stella?" chipped in Pascoe.

Dalziel looked concerned.

"She's fine." Smiled Pascoe. "She's waiting outside, would you like to see her?"

Dalziel nodded his head.

"Stella!" called Pascoe. The tall woman opened the door and stood there for a while, then her emotions got the better of her and she cried weakly and freely.

"Andy," she staggered over to his bed, "I thought I had lost you"

"I thought for a second that I had lost you to Stella."

"Like a case of dejarvoo this."

"I would go through dire and water for you Stella, you know I would!"

"I'll leave you two to it." Said Pascoe, and he left the room.

"How're you feeling?" Stella asked Andy.

"Oh, a bit sore. I'll live. You?"

"Extremely guilty."

"Why?"

"It's all my fault that you were shot."

"No Stella, it's my fault that you were shot. That man, he was working for an associate. A now convicted murderer and attempted murderer. It's all my own fault." Andy turned his head away. Stella held his hand to comfort him.

"You hate me don't you?" Dalziel looked her straight in the eyes.

"No!" Stella smiled. "I love you Andy. You know I do, and I always will. I would die for you!"

"You nearly did." Answered Dalziel.

"What about you? This is the second time that you have done this for me. You're a very generous man Andy. Your wife was a silly fool to think otherwise. You deserve someone special in your life."

"Please Stella, I've told you that I will never marry again."

Dalziel's wife had left him many years ago, and since then Dalziel had sworn that he would never marry again.

"I know." She smiled at him. "I have to go now." She got up from her seat. "Get better soon." She pecked him on the cheek. "Bye Andy." She closed the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Ready?" This time it was Dalziel who popped his head round the door of Pascoe's office.

"Yeah, come on then… and this time I will make sure that the petrol tank is full before we set off!"

Dalziel laughed. "Come on then."

Dalziel was relieved to be back at work now after almost a year. Pascoe could see the relief on his face that the doctors had finally let him go back to work. Dalziel was never happier than when he was working. It was the reason why his wife had divorced him, and he would never give it up now.

**Well there it is, final chapter, which brings the conclusion to this story! Sorry it all seemed rather rushed. This is how my first fan fiction was written, and it was my intention to keep it as it was originally when I wrote it. Even so do let me know what you think. REVIEWS are always appreciated, and thank you!**


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